playoff berth

Fresh legs and arms on one side, experience and momentum on the other. The Tampa Bay Rays rested while the Chicago White Sox worked overtime to secure a playoff berth.

No one can be sure what that will mean when their AL division series begins Thursday at Tropicana Field.

"I don't think there's any advantage to the way they got here," Rays manager Joe Maddon said Wednesday.

The White Sox snagged the final playoff berth by blanking the Twins. And unlike the Cubs, the pressure's off, Tracy Ringolsby says.

"Larry is interested in getting back into coaching in the pros or college"

Sam Vincent was fired by the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday after one turmoil-filled season as coach.

Part-owner Michael Jordan, who has the final say on all basketball decisions, dismissed Vincent less than a year after he gambled by giving him his first NBA head coaching job.

Mariners pitcher Erik Bedard has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in his left hip. The move Tuesday is retroactive to April 9, but the left-hander isn't sure when he might pitch again for his new team.

He said the discomfort in his hip is getting better but hasn't gone away. Seattle traded five players to the Baltimore Orioles in February for the 28-year-old Bedard, boosting hopes of a playoff berth this season.